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文|Severn
Since the resumption of fighting in Gaza, the voices of the peoples of the world against Israel have been renewed.
The Jews, who were once "disliked" by the whole world and seemed to find a place in any corner of the world, have once again become the focus of the world's attention and criticism, and the wind of "anti-Semitism" seems to be blowing all over the world again.
At the same time, why Jews are not treated well by people of all countries has also become the focus of public opinion and sparked discussions in the world.
But as everyone knows, Hegel hit the nail on the head early on to point out the root cause: the opposition of beliefs.
Jews who are not tolerated by the world
The Jews, a great and unfortunate people.
Unfortunately, since its birth, the Jewish people have been persecuted by other races, and it was only after World War II that a stable state was established, with equality and respect.
The greatness is due to the fact that the Jewish people have survived thousands of years of persecution, have not been exterminated, have not been assimilated, and have always maintained their own cultural traditions and religious beliefs.
The rejection and persecution of the Jews can be traced back to the 4th century BC.
At that time, the ambitious Alexander the Great, after conquering one country after another, began to spread Greek culture to every inch of the occupied land.
To this end, he demanded that the peoples of the East must abandon their own culture and adopt the Greek culture and way of life, including the Jews living in the Middle East.
In the course of Alexander the Great's "Hellenistic Campaign", Jewish civilization suffered its first heavy blow, the Jews were not allowed to worship their own God, altars were destroyed, holy books were burned, and the rebellion was frantically suppressed.
At this time, Alexander's empire, which had actually colonized under the pretext of "Greek culture", began to promote anti-Semitic ideas, and the Jews were ostracized for the first time.
In the Middle Ages, the situation of the Jews became more and more difficult, and they became the target of expulsion and discrimination from all over the world.
In many countries, Jews were not allowed to own land, which prevented them from engaging in agricultural production activities and crafts.
When the Crusades opened up the main routes between China and the West, a number of commercial and trading cities quickly emerged in the Mediterranean, and the commercial lifeline of these cities was firmly controlled by non-Jews, and all Jews who had been engaged in commerce were excluded.
The desperate Jews had to rely on loans to survive, which was an extremely shameless act at the time, so the Jews began to "stink".
Of course, it was during the First World War that antisemitism really emerged, and it was during the Second World War that antisemitism reached its peak.
After World War I, economic dissatisfaction and rejection of the general affluence of the Jews gradually developed into a pathological form of anti-Semitism, which was most typical in Germany.
In order to divert the contradictions, some right-wing parties in Germany began to trumpet anti-Semitism and blame the Jews for all the misfortunes facing Germany.
For a time, the Jewish nation became the scapegoat for the Germans to transfer their grievances and hatred.
Hitler, on the other hand, was one of the countless Jews-hating peoples.
In the 30-40s of the 20th century, the Nazis, led by Hitler, swung their butcher's knives at the Jews throughout Europe.
According to incomplete statistics, in the 12 years from 1933 to 1945 alone, more than 6 million Jews died.
Hitler directly slaughtered one-third of the world's Jews, and an average of five out of seven Jews in Europe were killed.
In other countries of the world, the Jews have not suffered the same annihilation, but their fate has been equally tragic.
Forced into desperation, Jews had no choice but to migrate to Eastern Europe such as the Czech Republic, Lithuania, and Russia.
As everyone knows, there has long been no place for Jews on the entire European continent.
As a result, a large number of Jews began to move to North America.
But here, too, they are not treated kindly, even today when the United States and Israel wear a pair of pants.
There are thousands of anti-Semitism incidents in the United States every year, and violence against Jews occurs from time to time.
In particular, after the resumption of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Israel and the Jewish nation immediately became the target of public criticism and the crusade of people of all ethnic groups around the world.
After thousands of years of evolution, the Jews still seem to have failed to change their situation and are still rejected by the countries of the world.
So, what is the reason behind antisemitism?
Why is it not tolerated by the whole world?
The reasons for the ostracism of a people throughout the world must be complex.
For example, the entanglement of interests between the two sides, economic conflicts, and even religious beliefs.
And for these reasons, economic conflict was an important reason for the persecution of the Jews.
The Jewish people are known for making money, and they are.
In the 10th and 12th centuries, European countries ushered in a period of commercial prosperity, and most of the people who were active in handicrafts such as printing and dyeing, silk weaving, and metal forging came from the Jewish people.
The Jews were famous for their embroidered textiles in Eurasia, and the Jewish artisans in southern Europe were huge, and with the commercial boom in the massive cities, the Jews took advantage of the situation and made a lot of money in various European countries.
At the same time, however, Jews also attracted hatred from other ethnic groups, and a series of laws were passed to suppress Jewish business, and hatred of Jews began to spread further.
For example, the social isolation of Jews from the outside world is also a major reason why they are not tolerated by the world.
For religious, social, and security reasons, Jews generally lived in groups as much as possible to avoid being humiliated and attacked by other ethnic groups.
People of other nationalities were equally reluctant to associate with the Jews.
In 1215, Christendom even adopted a code of conduct for Jews, stipulating that social and commercial dealings with each other must be conducted through specific channels and means.
At the same time, Jews were further restricted from religious beliefs, prohibiting Jews from building churches, wearing identification signs and special clothing when going out.
In this context, the separation of the Jewish nation from other societies has deepened.
There is an extreme lack of communication with each other, and there is only endless suspicion and prejudice.
In European Christendom in particular, folklore, legends, literature, and art portray Jews as insidious and cunning demons who spread the virus.
In medieval folklore, Jews were even described as sows, or with swarthy faces, hooked noses, and foul smells.
In different versions of woodblock prints in many countries, Jews are mostly ugly with devil's tails and goatees.
The long-term isolation between the two makes Christians, who do not know the truth, naturally hostile to the Jews.
In European society at that time, whenever there was a threat and there was no explanation, the matter would be thrown on the Jews.
Over time, anti-Semitic tendencies grew and spread in the midst of such stereotypes and hatred.
Roots: Opposing beliefs
However, neither economic competition, nor social barriers, nor the deliberate guidance of the ruling class are the root causes of the Jews' intolerance from the world.
The fundamental cause of such a tragic plight for the Jewish people lies in the fundamental opposition between the beliefs of the Jews and the rest of the world.
Specifically, there is the theological conflict between Christianity and Judaism.
In the 1st century AD, Christianity was born as a branch of Judaism.
In order to demonstrate the superiority of their doctrine and to win more believers, the Christian congregation began to concoct a set of discrediting Judaism.
These words and ideas were even added to the New Testament as an eternal value belief that was incorporated into Christian doctrine, which was the early theoretical basis of later anti-Semitism.
Some important allusions to Judaism are often fixed in the form of festivals and customs in Western culture, and evolve in a cyclical manner, forming a cultural custom.
As a result, when the theological concept of Christianity penetrated into the cultural tradition of the entire Western society, anti-Semitism became a deep-rooted concept in the minds of the people of Western countries.
In particular, the legend of Christ's martyrdom, which is the core content of Christian culture, directly triggered the hatred of the Christian congregation against the Jews.
According to the martyrdom legend, it was the disciple Judas's forgetfulness that caused Jesus to suffer.
And Judas, as the representative of the Jews, naturally carried the hatred of the whole religion.
Thus, the idea that the Jews must be held accountable for the death of Jesus planted the seeds of hatred in the hearts of the Christian masses at large.
Judging from later research, although the Gospel records about Jesus' death are inaccurate.
However, the sanctity of the Bible is unquestionable and cannot be altered.
Any Christian who is influenced by the Bible is taught a Jewish-phobic beliefs.
Every year on Easter Eve in various European countries, plays about Christ's martyrdom are held to remind all Christians not to forget this event.
Therefore, the believers who watched the play were often outraged and spontaneously organized rallies to denounce the despicable deeds of the Jews.
And Easter every year has become the day when the Jews are most persecuted.
After 2,000 years of development, Christianity has become the most widespread religion in the world.
In the process, anti-Semitism and persecution have also spread.
In Europe, unwarranted religious slander has always accompanied Jews, such as horrific accusations of so-called "host blasphemy" and "blood sacrifice".
"Host blasphemy" means that anti-Semites slander the Jews for having a bitter hatred for Jesus, so they obtain the "holy bread" by bribery, stealing and other means, and use the unique witchcraft of the Jews to desecrate and pollute the "holy bread" by various means, so as to torture Jesus again.
The "blood sacrifice" is an accusation that Jews secretly kill non-Jews, especially Christian boys, in order to obtain the "blood water" necessary for Jewish rituals.
But in fact, there are clear regulations in Jewish doctrine that prohibits ceremonies such as sacrificing blood to ancestors and gods.
The Jewish diet also prohibits the use of bloody meat, let alone the direct consumption of blood.
However, when the hatred and contradictions between the two religions are irreconcilable, who really cares about the veracity of these slanders?
epilogue
Whether it is economic conflict or social estrangement, such contradictions are played out all over the world, but the Jews have always been ostracized and hated.
The reasons behind it are not just economic and social factors.
As Hegel said, the opposition between the Jews and the world's beliefs is the root cause of their intolerance to all nations.
Resources
- HUANG Wei. On Hegel's concept of Judaism[D].Jilin University,2022.
- Ge Mingwei.A brief analysis of the historical origin of anti-Semitism[J].Journal of Yangzhou University(Higher Education Research Edition),2013,17(S1):85-87.)